Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. - 1 Timothy 4:7One of the hidden jewels of the Church is godly discipline. There has been a great lack of teaching and encouragement in modern evangelicalism towards the godly disciplines of: Fasting, waiting on God, early rising, head coverings, prevailing prayer, systematic Bible reading, Bible memorization, kneeling in prayer, and many other godly traditions in Church history. Many have been taught that such things are legalistic and should be avoided if possible. Yet in the New Testament all these disciplines were taught and practiced by the early Apostles. Our Lord Himself taught and practiced fasting. The early Apostles would wait on God in His presence ministering to Him. Our Lord would rise early before all others to pray and seek His Father. The Scriptures encourage women to cover their heads in prayer. Some in the early Church had a ministry of intercession. The Apostles gave themselves to the careful study of Scripture. Memorizing Scripture has been a principle of the people of God through all covenants. The Apostle James prayed on his knees till they were worn like a camel. There are countless other examples of those whose works followed their faith.Godly disciplines not only help us grow spiritually but are a great means of allowing the Lord to minister to our inner man and encourage our dependence on the Spirit of Christ. It is much more important for us to be disciplined in our spiritual life than in our physical life. Many suffer the loss of sleep, time, and money to succeed in a job, or hobby, but many will not suffer any discipline to be able to grow in their spiritual walk with the Lord. The practice of head covering during prayer, for instance, should not be considered a bondage but a privilege and a way to glorify the Lord as a sister in Christ. Virtually all denominations, movements and Christian groups kept this practice in the life of the Church until largely in the last generation. Let each sister read carefully 1 Corinthians 11 and simply be willing to be adjusted and directed by the Lord. It is good only for sisters who have been convinced by the Lord to practice this tradition in the meetings.
_________________SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
Thank you brother for this exceedingly rich reminder that our disciplines are not a "got to" but a "get to". We would all do well to take heed to this timely admonition that our Savior receive the full reward of His suffering in each of us. Let us not become so casual in our practice that we are found ineffective in the cause of Christ.
_________________Fletcher
